Journal of Negro Education

Mohammed Ahmed, (The Mahdi) Messiah of the Sudan

Author(s): John Henrik Clarke
Source: The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Spring, 1961), pp. 156-162
Published by: Journal of Negro Education
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2294340 .
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 SectionD: MohammedAhmed,(The Mahdi)
Messiahof theSudan
JOHNHENRI CLARKE

U. S. Correspondent
on African
Affairs,
WorldMutualExchange

THE SUDAN IS A VERY OLD COUNTRY ing,writingand themeaningof theMos-

and it has not alwaysbeen called lem bible, the Holy Koran. Through
theSudan. As earlyas 4,000 B.C. there he learnedof
his own resourcefulness,
appearsto havebeentradebetweenEgypt the countriesof Egypt, India, Persia,
and what is now the Sudan. In those Europe and the vast worldbeyondand
days the island of Elephantinemarked aroundhis country.He was exceedingly
the southernfrontier of Egypt. South intelligent,with a force of character
of this frontierthe countryextendedas somewhat superiorto mostof his people.
far as the land of Punt, whichwas on MohammedAhmed-Ibn-Seyyid-Abdal-
the coast of presentday Somaliland- lah was the last and best knownof the
laterit was knownas Ethiopia,theBibli- nativeconquerors of the Sudan. His ca-
cal land of Cush. reeris synonymous withthe title"MAH-
In 721 B.C. Piankhi,a NubianPrince, DI", meaningone who is divinelydi-
establishedcontrolover the whole of rected; The Mahdi announcedto his
Egypt. The Kingsof Cush becameac- peoplethathe wouldconquertheworld.
ceptedas the Kings of Cush and Misr He taughtthemto takean oathneverto
(Egypt). put on a new garment untilall foreign-
ers had been drivenout of the Sudan.
For a thousandyearsthe Sudan was Thoughhe foughtEgypt,as well as the
a Christiannation,dividedintotwoking- English,he, nonetheless, had manysym-
doms;Mukarraand Aboa. In 640 A.D. pathizers amongtheEgyptians.Theyfelt
theArabswhohad conquered Egyptmade thathe was responding to a feelingof na-
theirwayintotheSudan. In 1517 A.D. tionalistpride and anger motivatedby
the Sultan of TurkeyconqueredEgypt theinjusticeof foreign domination.The
and invadedthe northernSudan. Be- Englishoccupationof Egypt,supposedly
cause of the crueltyof theirrule,hence- tentative,was especiallygalling to the
forththe people of the Sudan referredEgyptiansbecause of the uncertainty
as "Turks"regardless
to all oppressors of aboutits probableduration. The Prophet
theirrace or religion. The armiesof of Islam in the Sudan commanded more
MohammedAli invaded the Sudan in reverencefromthe Egyptiansthan the
1820 A.D. ChristianEnglishwho were showingno
to their
Corruptionand injusticewent unop- signsofmakingpreparations keep
promise to withdraw from Egypt.
posed for sixtyyearsuntil in 1881, a
greatleaderappearedto unitethe Suda- MohammedAhmedwas bornnearthe
nese. He rallied the people to unite islandof Argo,at Dongolain the Sudan.
in a holy war againstthe "Turks"and At his deathhis age was estimated to be
driveall foreignoppressorsfromthe Su- aboutforty five. Therefore he musthave
dan. been born sometimebetween1840 and
1845. In spiteof theirpoorand obscure
This great leader was Mohammed
background his familyclaimed to be
Ahmed. He belongedto the race of of the "Prophet".
of "Ashral" or descendants
peopleknownas Danagla; inhabitants
Dongola. His fatherwas a fikior re- Duringthegreater portion ofhis youth,
ligiousteacher. He taughthis son read- MohammedAhmedwas leftentirelyto
156
 CURRENT TRENDS AND EVENTS 157

his ownresources.He learnedtheKoran Sherif,because he had consideredthis

by heartand receivedhis earlyinstructiondedicatedyoungman to be his favorite
in theology. Subsequently he went to disciple. But, this disciplehad rebuked
the cityof Berberand becamea pupil him in the presenceof his eldersand
of the well knownteacher,Mohammed the leadingcitizensof the town. Order-
el Kheir who completedhis education. ing him out of the schoolwas the only
Arriving at manhood,he went to Khar- way the teachercould maintainhis au-
toumwherehe becamea discipleof the thority and prestige.
then celebratedand highly respected
Sheikh MohammedSherif,his grand The newsof thisincidentspreadrapid-
uncle. With him he went to live on ly and drewthe attention and sympathy
the island of Abba, on the white Nile of the massesof people to this devout
near Kawa. He stayedand studiedhere studentof the Koran. Now he had his
fora numberof yearsand latermarried firstfollowers.He also daredto rebuke
the daughterof MohammedSherif. the richin theirown homesand became
a hero to the poor. Soon it was being
In outward appearance Mohammed said thathe was a personof divineorigin
Ahmedwas strangely he was -probablythelongawaitedMessiahwho
fascinating;
a manof strong and seeming- was expectedto appearin the Islamyear
constitution
ly limitlessenergy. Like most of the 1300 or 1881. His nameand family were
membersof the Danagla tribehis com- verysimilarto thatof theProphet.
plexionwas verydark. A pleasantsmile
As his popularityand followingin-
was nearlyalwaysapparenton his face.
Under thissmilegleameda set of singu- creased the Britishand Egyptianrulers
of his country becamealarmedover the
larlywhite teeth,and betweenthe two
uppermiddleoneswas a V-shapedspace, discontent he was spreadingamongthe
whichin the Sudan is considered a sign peopleand orderedhis arrest. With his
thattheownerwill be lucky. His mode firstdiscipleshe fledto an islandup the
of conversation,too,had by training, be- Nile. Here the Mahdi religiousmove-
ment was born. People fromall over
come exceptionally pleasantand persua-
sive. Later,when he and his followers theSudanmadepilgrimages to theisland,
beseeching him for Blessingand crying
proclaimedthat he was a Messiah and
for liberationfrom theiroppressors.Much
messenger of God,he actedas thoughhe
with the later, the inevitable came to pass. The
was in directcommunication
Mahdi religiousmovement was made into
Deity. All orderswhichhe gave were a forcethatmiraculously
military defeated
supposedto have cometo himby divine the
and it becametherefore a sin combinedSudan armiesof Egyptand
inspiration;
to refuseto obey them;disobedience to Englandand freedhis country fromsixty
to years of slaveryand crueltaxation.
the Mahdi's orderswas tantamount
resistanceto the will of God. FromAbbaIsland,Mohammed Ahmed,
now called the Mahdi, went to the dis-
MohammedAhmed's great asset in
trictof Kordofanwhere his fame had
drawingpeople to reverehis personality taken hold of the population.
was his pietyand deeplyreligiouszeal, already
People flockedto him forblessings-the
thismade him a favorite withall of his
of a holy man-one who had
teachers. . . yet at one timethispious blessings
been bold and brave enoughto rebuke
dispositionled to a conflict.Mohammed a teacher
for his sins and his lack of
Ahmed rebukedone of his instructors
for allowingsingingand dancingat a reverence forthelawsof theHoly Koran.
feast. He held the opinionthatthisac- In preaching and exhorting thepeople,
tivitywould be displeasingto God. In the Mahdi had one subject and one
the quarreland conflictthat followed, theme:"Ourreligionis becoming debased
Mohammed Ahmedwas toldin veryharsh and corrupted;our Prophetis insulted
words to leave the school. This was and everytrue Moslem is humbledby
heartbreakingforhis teacher,Mohammed the corruption of the government officials
158 THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO EDUCATION

and theirutter disregardfor the true The Mahdi was invitedto Khartoum
faith". to be examinedin theKoranto see if he
was reallytheexpectedMessiah. He re-
Now MohammedAhmedand Gordon jected the invitation and sent back the
Pasha at Khartoum becamerivalclaimants message,"By the graceof God and His
forsupremacy overthe mindsof the Su- Holy Prophet, I am masterin theSudan.
danesepeople. They werealso rivalsin NevershallI cometo Khartoum to justi-
anothersense,forboth of themclaimed fymyself."
to be the "Messengers of God".
With thissortof preachinghe struck
The Mahdi claimed,as the wordim- the rightcord in the characterof the
plies,to be the "Guide or Messenger of Moslem and all otherSudanese tribes.
God", and called himselfMohammed His plan and thoughtwere to unite all
Ahmedel Mahdi Monutazer,thatis to in one great faith. Wisely for his
say, the prophetand guide awaitedby scheme,he recognizedthe generalstate
the world. His followershad already of discontent and mostastutelyused it
adoptedthe cryof, "MohammedAhmed as a fertilegroundforhis message. He
rassoulAllah nili Allah" . . . roughly was a religiousleader,but he also was
translated,Mohammedthe Messiahand a shrewdpolitician.He basedarguments
Messengerof Allah". "hardtimes"and traced
of theprevailing,
Of the manyrumorsthatwere being these to the existinggovernment.His
circulatedabout him and his followers,astuteness was again shownin the way
one was that he intendedto invade be selected,as the fieldof his earliest
Egypt,to convertthe Mussulmento the efforts, the mostdisturbed sectionof the
truefaithfromwhichtheyhad strayed, country.
and aftera massacreof the Christians in The Britishauthoritiesoffereda large
Egypt,to go to Mecca, the holycityof sum forhim dead or alive. This action
his faithwherehe expectedto receivethe forcedthe Mahdi to declarea holywar.
Khalifat and be ordained the Grand He promisedhis rapidlyincreasingfol-
Cheikhof Islam. lowersthe majorityshare of the spoils
GordonPasha'sovertures of friendshiphe intendedto takefromthe oppressors.
towardhim were treatedwith disdain. A quarreldevelopedbetweenthe com-
In replyingto one of the Governor-Gen-manderssent to seize the Mahdi. The
eral'sgestureshe said, "I send you back quarrelbrokeintoan openfightand their
your presents. I will not accept your two separatecompaniesof soldierswere
offerto be Emir(Governor)of Kordofan. weakenedto ineffectiveness. The Mahdi
You say you have come to make peace and his followers fellon thesetroopswith
becauseyou arewithGod. We are with clubs,sharpsticksand stones. In a short
God. If you are withGod you are with while theyweredestroyed.More troops
us; on the contraryif you are againstus were sent but thesetoo were destroyed.
you are againstGod. Be converted, then, Then came the Mahdi'sattemptto cap-
and becomea Mussulman;if not,we will ture El-Obeid,the capital of Kordofan;
upon youthesamepunishment
inflict we and thoughdrivenbackwithgreatlosses,
have accordedto Hicks Pasha". he prevaileduntil aftera siege of five
The futurebattlelineshad beendrawn months,the town and garrisonsurren-
and both contestants had been pushed dered. Now he was hailedas themaker
beyondthe point where a compromiseof miracles.PraiseAllah! The Messiah
could not be reached. had come!
GordonPasha said in reply:"I go to The governmentno longerlookedupon
Khartoum to makepeace. We can come him as a holyman,zealousforreligion
if, however,you wish but poor and withoutinfluence-whom
to an agreement,
forwar,comeon. I am ready". theycould silenceeasily. The govern-
 CURRENT TRENDS AND EVENTS 159

went had alreadycometo be despisedby enabledthe poorlyarmedDervishforce

-thepeople because of its weaknessand to defeatthe British-Egyptian armyin
corruption,whiletheprestigeof Moham- battleafterbattle.
medAhmedwas in theascendency.The
spirit of rebellionwhich prevailedin Each new victorywas an inspiration
Egyptno doubthelpedto augmentfanati- and added otherfollowers to the leader-
cism in the Sudan. The government ship of the Mahdi, until the
practically
again sentforMohammedand he again whole Sudan lay at his feet.
refusedto go. There now followedin The EgyptiansrecalledRaouf Pasha
surprising rapid succession,defeatafter and sentanotherGovernor Generalwith
defeatfor the government, and success a stronger armyto turnback the Mah-
aftersuccessforthe Mahdi. di's fanaticalarmies. Still this armyof
Now thepersonality of
and activity the formerly misbegotten creaturesswept to
Mahdi stirredthe whole of the Sudan- defeat everythingbefore them.At Senaar,
the hopeless became hopeful and the of 6,000 Egyptiansonly 20 escapedalive.
had founda leader. Fromthe
-leaderless At Djebel-Gadir in June 1882 twowhole
bills and the plains,desertsand forests, army corpswere wiped out; at Seribah,
the tribesralliedto the blackflagof the July11 of the sameyearthe Mahdi de-
Mahdi and pledgedallegianceto his cru- stroyedall excepttwelveof an armyof
sade. Tens of thousandsof them,The 6,100 men. In Octoberhe overranand
Selem, Baggara,Risega,Homer,Dirrka, defeatedan Egyptianforceof 10,000.
Bongo,Madi, and Bari,pouredinto the Afterattacking El-Obeid,a citywhere
new Messiah's camp. They came on he had previously suffered a temporary
horsebackand on footarmedwithrifles defeat,he turnedhis attention and mili-
and lances, or with home-madespears. tary prowesstowardKhartoum,capitol
Some were the poorestof the poor and cityof the Sudan.
woreonlyfilthy loin cloths. The British
and the Egyptiansbraced themselves The Englishwho previously wereonly
againstthistideand reshuffled theirplans concerned withthedeclineof theirpower
and forces. Still the tribes gathered and prestige in the Sudan now began to
thickerin the Mahdi'scamp.All, fanati- fearfortheirverylives. The Egyptian
cally brave,theyhad but one goal in forces,firstto rearup againstthe Mah-
view: Freedomor Paradise. di's powerhad beencrushed.
MohammedAhmedhad all the quali- Sir William Hicks (called Hicks
ties of a greatrevolutionaryleader,the Pasha), a veteranfighter of colonialwars,
of
sure self-confidence one who believed was placed in charge of 10,000 men
himself divinelyendowed, tremendousarmedwith the latestweapons. With
forceof character and greatpersonalin- his forcehe crossedthe Nubian Desert
tegrity.These qualitieswere combined and proceededup the Nile, hopingto
to persuadegreatmassesof peopleto the encounterthe Mahdi's armysomewhere
truthof his message. Besides he had near Khartoum.Beforethe Mahdi met
emergedat the time the long awaited Hicks Pasha's armyhe had crushedthe
Messiah had been prophesiedto appear Egyptianforcesat Abu Ahmedand at
convincedthat he was indeed sent by Bheheb,therefore leavingno appreciable
God to help them, his adherentshailed Egyptian army in the fieldagainsthim.
him as the long-awaited Mahdi,el Mah- Hicks reachedKhartoum firstafterde-
di el Muntazar. This was to be a Jihad, featingsome hostiletribeson the way.
or a holywar,and the Mahdi reminded The Mahdi's followers and prestigehad
his followersthat,accordingto thewords increasedto a proportion wherehe was
of the Prophet,those who met their now consideredan infalliblemilitary
deathin battlewouldbe immediately re-
ceived in paradise. It was the fanatical leaderas well as a trueMessiah. With
couragewhichthisdoctrine inspiredthat this acceleratedstatus,he led his main
160 THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO EDUCATION

army toward Khartoum. Hicks left use diplomacy.Afterthe collapseof his;

3,000 men to hold the cityand set off ill-advisedattempts to bringthe ex-slave
with the restof his armyto meet the trader,LobeirPasha to his assistance, he
Mahdi,who in themeantime had altered finallyhad to deal directlywith the
his plans by withdrawingthe army Mahdi. Gordon offeredto make the
headed forKhartoum.He encampedat Mahdi governor-general of a largeprov-
El-Obeidjustlongenoughto enticeHicks ince. The mighty Mahdiinterpreted this.
Pasha to move his armyin that direc- gestureas an insultand ridiculedhim
tion. Howeverwhen Hicks reachedthe formakingit-thinking:why shouldhe
city,the Mahdi had movedfurther into be a meregovernor-general of a province
the desert. Hicksfollowedhimintothis when the whole of the Sudan, except
well laid trap,as he expectedhim to one or two places,was alreadyhis. In
do. On November. 3, 1883, afterHicks reply he urged Gordon to forsakehis
Pasha's army had been weakened by devout Christianbeliefsand become a
thirstand somehad died fromdrinking Moslem.
poisonedwater,the Mahdi and his loyal
cohortsswept down upon them. This To Gordon,this of course,was un-
was the Mahdi'smostdecisivevictory so thinkable. Being a practicalmilitary
far. A moundof dead mencoveredthe man,he knewthathe did not have the
bodyof HicksPasha,also dead. powerhe needed to defendKhartoum.
He sentthe womenand childrenout of
Now theanxietyof the Englishin the the city and awaited the Mahdi who
Sudan becamepanic. They were afraid arrivedsoon afterwardand laid siege
that the Mahdi's examplewould spread to the city. Afterthe siege had lasted
to othercolonialareas. manymonthsthe Britishsentan expedi-
The forcethatthe Mahdi had sentto tionof 25,000 men underthe command
Suakinunderthe leadershipof his most of LordWolselyto supportGeneralGor-
able general,OsmanDigna,had defeated don's armyat Khartoum.
an armycommanded by theBritishgener- Lord Wolselywhose'victoryover the
al, Sir Samuel Baker. Later, another Egyptiansat Tel-el-Kebirin 1882 was
BritishgeneralnamedGraham,was able the decisivefactorin establishing British
to holdOsmanDigna'sarmyat bay. rule over Egypt,proceededup the Nile
withhis expedition in 800 boats,hoping
Morevictories fortheMahdi followed. to reachGeneralGordonbeforehis army
He capturedBerber,Dongola,(the home was overrunby the Mahdi's dedicated
of his tribe) Darfurand the richEqua- adherents. At Abu Klea, he met part
torialProvinces. of the Mahdi's forcesand won a vic-
The British,realizingthat theywere toryin the battle that followed,while
about to be pushed out of the Sudan, suffering heavylosses. The brightmem-
broughtin their most able General, oryof Lord Wolsey'svictory barelyhad
CharlesGeorgeGordon,a renowned figure time to become real beforehis second
betterknownas "Chinese"Gordon. He in command, GeneralStewart,was beat-
had servedin thisregionbeforeand al- en and killed.
readyhad a respected reputation
here.He Afterweeksof hardshippart of Lord
was knowntomostofthepeopleandliked Wolseley's expeditionreached Omdur-
by a largenumberof them. Gordonwas man, a few miles fromKhartoum. In
devoutChristian and liketheMahdi,had the journeythe Britishshipshad to sail
illusionsof being divinely-endowed. through severeattacksby MoslemKrupp
When Gordonarrivedat Khartoum he guns. Lord Wolseley'ssuccessat Abu
foundthe situationmoredesperatethan Klea and in bringingthe expeditionup
the forceat his commandcould master. the Nile was a commendablefeat of
Knowingthecountry and itspeoplebetter leadership, but it did not save General
than most Englishmen,he decided to Gordon; two days before his arrival,
 CURRENT TRENDS AND EVENTS 161

January25, 1885, Khartoumhad fallen ed of his army. Later,bent on aveng-

to the Mahdi'sarmy. ing his and England'shonor,he asked
fora chanceto attackthe Mahdi again
The long 321 day siege ended when and was permitted to do so. He re-
25,000 of the Mahdi's fanaticalarmy turnedthe same yearwith 13,000white
swarmedoverthe ramparts of the battle troopsand was beatenback. Now Eng-
scarredcityand surrounded thepalace of land withdrew fromall of Sudan except
Governor-General Gordon. Gordon, a the partof Suakin,whichcould be de-
stalwartsoldierto theend,walkedcalmly fendedby warships. The Mahdi pre-
out on thesteps,wherea giantKordofan vailedovertherestof theSudan.
soldierfollowerof the Mahdi ran him
throughwitha spear. An officer named The Mahdi and his forcescrossedthe
Nisser, beheadedhim with his sword. West bankof the WhiteNile and there
Hundredsof soldiersfell upon Gordon in the desert laid the foundationof
and plungedtheirspearsinto his body. the capitol of his new kingdom. He
His head was sent to the Mahdi who was now suprememasterof a rich em-
at least admiredhim as a soldier,and pire1,600mileslongand 700 mileswide.
had hoped to makehim a Moslemcon- His subjectshad been gatheredfrom
vert. everydistrict and tribe. Some gave him
homage willingly,some throughfear.
The storyof Gordon'sattemptto save The Sudan is peopled by many racial
the Sudan was the more patheticbe- typeswith everyformof physiqueand
cause his task showedeveryindication all of themwere represented amongthe
of failurebeforehe sethimselfto it. The Mahdi's followers. There were Chris-
fall of Khartoum and Gordon'stragicend tians,Moslemsand heathen. Therewere
was a severeblow to Englishpridethat thosewholovedtheMahdiand his cause,
mighthave been avoided. To add to and otherswho followedhim in order
this, another expeditioncomposed of to obtain protection, clothes,food and
11,000 English and Egyptiansoldiers shelter.
was defeatedwithgreatlossesat Kassala,
by theMahdi'smostable general,Osman The Mahdi's ambitionwas still run-
Digna. ning high. He thoughtof himselfas
anotherMohammed. He planned to
General Gordonhad made the city bringall adjoiningterritories under his
of Khartoumhis headquarters, thenhad
rule; subdue the Christian part of Ethi-
been hemmedin on all sides until the opia, marchinto Egyptand convertthe
citywas cut offfromthe outsideworld, worldto Islam.
while his supplies of food, guns and
ammunition were used up in a lost and His amazingcareerended beforeany
hopelesscause. He had stood bravely of thesedreamswererealized. On June
to his port tryingto inspirea hundred 22, 1885, six monthsafterthe deathof
mento do theworkof thousands.Then, General Gordon,he died of typhoid
beingbaffledand harrassed by the shift- fever. Withhis laststrength he shouted
lessnessand incompetency of his officersthe Islamcreed.
he made promiseshe could not keep
until his wordas an Englishman began His followers mournedhimformonths
on unlisteningears. Yet, he and later erected a magnificent tomb
to fall
inspireda listlesspopulationto resist on the spot where he had died.
for 321 days. Then came the night The Mahdi was succeeded by his
attack, the mad rush to the palace, secondin command, Abdullathe Khalifa
the javelin throwand he, who was said
to be "the fatherand saviourof the who ruled the country foreleventrouble-
Sudan" lay dead. some years before the Britishgave Lord
In themidstof thischaos,LordWolse- Kitchener enough men and guns tc re-
ley retreatedto Cairo withwhatremain- conquer the Sudan.
162 THE JOURNAL OF NEGRO EDUCATION

In avengingwhat he thoughtwas policy eventuallyhelped to make the

England'shonor,Lord Kitchener showed country
Sudan the freeand independent
no mercyand considerednothingto be we knowtoday.
sacred while he was accomplishing his
mission. He morethanearnedthename,
"The Butcherof Omdurman".He bom- Bibliography
bardedthe tombof the Mahdi and took H. S. and W. D. Afford,The Egyptian
his bonesand threwthemintothe Nile, Sudan, London, 1898.
It was said that the Mahdi's head was E. N. Bennett,The Downfall of the Der-
packedin a kerosenetin and laterused vishes, London, 1899.
by Kitcheneras a tobaccocontainer. R. A. Berman,The Mahdi of Allah, New
York, 1932.
In spite of Lord Kitchenerand those B. Burleigh,Two Campaigns,London,1896.
who came afterhim, the followersof J. K. Griffen,The EgyptianSudan, New
the Mahdi continuedto fightthe British York, 1905.
until about 1930. GeneralGordon,C. S. "Journals,"Boston,.
Mass., 1885.
As for the unansweredquestion-was Col. D. ChoilleLong, The Three Prophets,
Mohammed 'Ahmed,the Mahdi,reallya New York, 1884.
Messiah? Well, millionsof people in H C. Jackson,Sudan Days and Ways,.
the Sudan believedhe was and some New York, 1954.
still do. But let this truthsuffice;the JosephOhrwolder,Ten Years Captivityin
Mahdi and his successorswere right- the Mahdi's Camp, London, 1896.
fullyfighting againstinjusticeand colon- Mekki Shibeika,IndependentSudan, New
York, 1960.
ial misrule,amongotherreasons. The Rudolf C. Slatin, Fire and Sword in The'
aftermath of this fightmovedthe Brit- Sudan, London, 1896.
ish to adopta morehumaneand enlight- G. W. Steevens,With Kitchenerto Khar-
ened administrationin the Sudan. This toum,New York, 1898.